


A Matter Close To The Spark

by Hecker (MainstreamHecker)



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: "Drift has always been a pretty bot", Alien Culture, Amica Endurae, Cultural Differences, Fluff, Gen, Pick me up, There is only robots being pretty, Transformers Spark Bonds, fool do you think there is plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:27:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MainstreamHecker/pseuds/Hecker
Summary: ..."What did you do? I thought I was the one that offends someone within a few seconds of meeting them.""I didn't do anything! I was just making small talk."...a.k.a. Velocity and Ratchet argue about spark bonding. Feelings are hurt. Drift was there.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: the word rape is mentioned, nothing explicit. Grammatical error. Make up. Platonic affection. Arguing. Blatant disregard of canon. Shameless publication of headcanon as fiction. Stuffing my issues into the mouths of fictional characters so that they would blurt it out so that I dont have to. Lots of the word giggle because im a sap with limited vocab
> 
> Feel free to fix up my mistakes. No. Like, seriously. Publishing hc is like ringing the doorbell and running away before canon can catch up with you. I fucking hate past and present tenses, wtf man.

 

  
It's hard. Being away from home around a bunch of strangers. So many things to look out for around these Cybertronian and their social stigma. Velocity often tread carefully. Gently. She knew better than to assume their heavy armours and loud engines as anything but camouflage of their traumatized mental state.

 

Despite that, she wouldn't trade them for anything else. With Thunderclash, with The _Vis Vitalis,_ things had been... subdued. Nobody had a shred of protest. Everybody was content. A floating utopia life support space ship, living the fantasy, truly. The Lost Light...

 

She didn't understand it. Didn't even try to. Possibly couldn't. How could you ever trade a lifetime of war, of the life lost, of the grief and pain. How do you put a price on that. No measurement of empathy could possibly replace what they had been through.

 

She pity them, truly. Despite how Rodimus might fume, and, well, they did got sent to their execution by this DJD group. Okay so it's more of a big deal, than what she makes it sound like in her head. But Velocity knew better. She did her homework, read up stuff with or without propaganda. They wanted an impossible justice for an unimaginable crime. As far as betrayal goes, they saw themselves being struck first.

 

She can't ever replicate their lifetime of hopeless desperation and fear as any sort of empathy into her cortex, so all she can ever offer them is sympathy.

 

Now with all things said and done in fighting for their survival, there's even more Velocity had to look out for.

 

"Woah," Brainstorm plastered himself into the doorway to avoid the huffing giant of a crane that stormed out of the medbay. A box of fuel lines clutched to his chest. "What did you do? I thought I was the one that offends someone within a few seconds of meeting them."

 

"I didn't do anything!" Velocity spread her hands to prove her innocence. "I was just making small talk."

 

Brainstorm rubbed his chin, "Hmmm. Well. Remind me to make a weapon out of words. It's going shoot hard light manifestation of the words you say. Or maybe make them imbed itself into the victi- I mean- target's cortex and repeat itself in a loop."

 

"Brainstorm-"

 

"That person then will be too distracted to fight," he gasped, "Or- or I could make the stimulus strong enough to scramble the charges of the brain module!" he shook with giddiness where he stood. "With target specification on the on the thought process itself I could make the very word a trigger, so like, when you try not to think about it the more you think about it. The cascade with bring a positive feedback mechanism. I could amplify the charges, concentration of ionization on the fuel or spark chamber-"

 

"Wait Brainstorm-"

 

"- I could make a guy implode!!" he gasped, hands cupping his cheeks. Velocity rushed to catch the box he dropped. He ran outside, bumping into Rodimus and shouting, " I'M A GENIUS!!!"

 

"What did you do?!" Rodimus threw her a horrified look. "Brainstorm! Brainstorm, whatever you're doing, you better not!!" He shot after him in alt mode, engine throttling to full speed.

 

Nautica poked her head into the room, "What did you do?"

 

"I didn't do anything!" she cried. "I was just doing a standard check up!"

 

"Riiight..."

 

Velocity threw her hands up in frustration, Nautica caught the box she tossed away. "I was just asking that crane Velocitron if she could speed up to mach 1."

 

Nautica placed the box on a working bench farthest from flammable objects, whatever touched Brainstorm had a high chance of catching fire. She's committed to figure out which laws of physics abide to that logic.

 

"I thought all of Velocitrons are speedsters?"

 

"Thank you! That's what I thought! I don't understand what's all the fuss is about."

 

She sat down with a harrumph, crossing her arms. Nautica slid in beside her, putting her arm across her shoulder, "Hey, come now Lotty. It's not all that bad. It's not integrating into the social community without offending a few people here and there. All that matters is to not do it again."

 

"You mean like how you insulted Jackpot and didn't speak to him for three months?"

 

"Yyeeeaaah... Touché."

 

"I just," she sighed, "I just want things to work out, but everything is so unfamiliar, and everything just went... Wrong."

 

The arm around her tightened their grip. Velocity snuggled closer to her, seeking comfort the best she can. Now with everyone from a variety of origin and timeline, things just got even more complicated than it was.

 

"Come on Lotty," Nautica stood and pulled her up, "I think you need a break."

 

"But they need me here."

 

"Correction. They need your faculty as a professional medical officer, which-" she rubbed Velocity's helm crest, eliciting a giggle. "-as your bestest friend I deign you unequipped with the proper emotional capacity to provide such service and thus-" a kiss on the cheek "it is my responsibility to the good of everyone involved to cheer up my lovely-" a kiss on her hand' "-talented-" a boop on her nose, Velocity let out another giggle, cheeks red. "- the most perfect Amica in the whole universe!"

 

The last part she cupped her mouth and raised her voice, prompting looks from the other residents. Some cringed at the public display of affection. Some fond. A few melancholic.

  
"Oh you romantic fool you," Velocity gave a charmed grin despite her words.

 

Nautica gave a smile back, the soft look on her eyes melted Velocity's spark chamber as she felt it flare with affection.

 

Dear Primus. She really love her.

 

"Come on. I know just the thing to do"

 

~~~~

 

"-and then they jumped into the lava and never to be heard again."

 

"Hmmm. Creative. But physically she showed signs of-"

 

"Shhhshhshh!" Nautica cut her off with a hand on her face. "You're not supposed to use your logic. You look at people and make things up, that's the game. The point is to take your mind off of it."

 

Velocity pulled her drink closer, giving a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I never did shine in creative writing class."

 

"No. No it's fine. You like facts. We can work with that. Lets see..." she trailed off, looking about the crowd milling about, loitering around the common room. "How about we just look around for some eye candy? I always wanna know your type."

 

Velocity raised an optic ridge, "Really?"

 

"Hey you gotta admit they have some different constructs than Camiens," she shrugged. "Soooo... What do you think about treads? Yay or nay?"

 

Velocity rubbed her chin, eyes on two pairs of tanks conversing near the energon dispenser. "Well... They do have a certain edge, especially as part of a limb instead of a mounted kibble. Also, they give off the illusion of many seams."

 

Their eyes followed a group of construction workers passing them, sighing dreamily.

 

"Oh yeah. Seams are so my thing. I just want to," she wiggled her fingers in a way that made a two-wheeler did a double take, stumbled, and ran away with blushing.

 

Nautica laughed, wiping her eyes. "Okay. Okay, you perv. How about... Guns?"

 

They met each others eyes and grimaced.

 

"Yeah... Not my thing either."

 

"I'm still not used to so much heavy artilleries," Velocity pulled a face. "Every time they shoot I still can't stop thinking how much energon they had to burn out with every shot."

 

"Oh yeah. That time when I used-"

 

She cut herself off as the group next to her gave an urgent whisper. Prompting their attention. Suddenly it was as if everyone in the whole room were tense with forced nonchalance, attention trained on something on the doorway.

 

That something was someone. More accurately. It was Drift.

 

He strolled into the room, heading to the energon dispenser with all eyes trained on him. The two tanks Velocity just ogled scrambled to make way, one of them closing her friend's gaping mouth.

 

He smiled kindly at them, offering a friendly "How do you do?"

 

The bigger one gave a flirty, albeit shaky, smirk. Leaning on an elbow with a smoldering gaze that makes Velocity's spark jumps to her throat. "How do I do you?" she purred.

 

Okay. Bad pick up line. That instantly cross out all the pros. Back in the trash candidate.

 

Beside her Nautica sighed at the loss of wasted potential.

 

"I'm just fine thank you."

 

The tank faltered. Either she was just brutally rejected, or Drift was denser than lead. As she contemplated the risk of another pick up line, Drift had already moved to the supplements, dropping a few copper and nickel shavings.

 

Another one slid in her place to test their luck, this time a flyer, her quadruple wings spread wide to show off her very much massive... impressive wingspan. Ailerons and flaps tilted, increasing her many angles. Velocity had to stick her fingers in between Nautica's blades before she made a scene. So that's her type huh.

 

"Hey there sweetheart. Need some company?"

 

"Thank you but I'm having this to go. So many new arrivals. So many stuff to do." he shrugged as if it couldn't be helped. Drift only managed a passing search of a spoon before dozens of them are offered to him. He picked one with a thanks and made his way out.

 

Someone gave a slow whistle. She didn't have to look to know everyone echoed the sentiment.

 

"How have I not noticed how pretty he is," swooned Velocity with her cheeks in her hands.

 

"Well. We were... occupied before."

 

"Oh yeah... Have you talked to him?"

 

Nautica bit her lips, rubbing her sore propeller. "A bit. Kind of? I dunno I'm kinda..."

 

"Intimidated? Shy?"

 

"Awkward? I mean. What do you know about him?"

 

"I know First Aid. From there I knew about Ratchet," she ticked out her fingers, "aaand I know he left because of something, and that may or may not be because he had beef with Rodimus about..."

 

"About Drift." sighed Nautica. "If you asked Swerve he would tell you all the details, with some minor or major exaggeration. Did you ask Swerve?"

 

"By asking did you mean I got a crash course on the past year of the Lost Light condensed into five shots of Nightmare fuel seconds after my first visit to the bar?"

 

"Five shots! Lotty you absolute monster."

 

"Well I try. But by the end of it I'm not at all sober and all I got is that it's something bad and no one wants to talk about it."

 

"That's basically it. It has something to do with Rodimus' captain credibility and now... I think now is an even worse time to talk about it." she whispered.

 

Velocity slumped too. Every time she remembered about all the friends that left them, the betrayal, the mutiny, the price that came with a grayed out corpse of a dear friend... She gripped Nautica's hand. Now it's her turn to distract her from the thought of her dead Amica.

 

"Do you ever think you could pull off a face paint like him?"

 

"Like a city speaker? Pfft." she tightened her grip to show her gratitude at the diversion. "I don't think something with such a heavy implication can be any sort of fun."

 

"Well. Maybe not that kind of paint. But something like the kind Firestar wore," she gasped. "Oh, I know! We could paint each other's face."

 

"Really?" laughed Nautica as she went along with the pull on her hands. "You want a make over right now? Do we even have paint?"

 

"Rodimus have been planning something with a stack of paint back in the store room. I'm sure he wont miss it if we took some."

 

~~~~

 

It turned out you would only need _some_ if you were proficient. Otherwise.

 

"I'm so sorry Nautica." Velocity sobbed, wiping her tenth attempt from Nautica's brow. "I never knew how much I sucked before."

 

Nautica winced as the cloth started to irritate her plating. "No its fine," she placated, " Both of us were never the type to focus on this things before. Too busy with studying. Our suckiness is proportional to how much we effort we put into it."

 

Velocity pouted as she wiped her own cheeks. "But I am trying."

 

"And we're both leading each other blind. How about we try it again some other time yeah?" she took Velocity's hand and kissed her fingers.

 

"Yeah okay."

 

They both jumped as Velocity's communicator rang, her ringtone echoed in the small room.

 

"Hello? Oh I'm-" she gasped and scrambled up, running down the corridor. "Yes sir. I'm going. Gunning it right now sir."

 

~~~~

 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!!" Velocity bursted into the medbay to a glowering Ratchet and Drift on the slab.

 

Right. Not only did she interrupted an appointment, came in late, she made a fool of herself in front of her crush. Way to go Lotty.

 

"And I'm sorry the work is too troublesome that you ditched it _unannounced_ for a date!"

 

"I didn't-" her hand flew to her face. She could only imagine what she looked like. Smeared paint all over. Her lips probably the worst and puffy with how much she rubbed at it. "It's not what it looks like!"

 

Right. Denial. The final nail on her coffin. Dear Primus, she ran all the way here looking like that. Ratchet wouldn't have to worry anymore, there is no way Velocity is ever leaving the medbay ever again.

 

"I don't care what it looks like. Just. Clean up and get back to work." he scolded and went back to scanning Drift. He didn't even need a scanner with his much experience, both as a medic and with Drift himself.

 

Velocity toed the ground and sulked towards the washer. Drift's comforting smile only made her more embarrassed.

 

"So. Velocity right?" Drift piped up. Trying to pick up the mood, bless his soul. Velocity vowed to never inflict any sort of discomfort on him if Ratchet ever deemed her worthy of practicing the medical profession ever again. "We never properly met. Well. In proper circumstances that is. I'm Drift."

 

"Yes, I know. That is, people talk about you. A lot. That is. Not that it's bad. I mean, I heard about you, back in the... Um. Hi?" she ate her fist. Hopefully that would take away the taste of her foot out of her mouth.

 

Drift didn't seem offended. In fact it was Ratchet that scowled as if he was the one she irked and stuck his fingers into Drift's mouth. She knew for a fact it's to stop him from talking instead of actually checking for anything.

 

"I read the rest of First Aid's report last night and your side notes on it." he took his hand out of Drift's mouth and removed his chest armour.

 

"Oh." she busied herself with the reports on the table. Setting aside the one on the crane Velocitron on top of her pile of to do list. " Is there something I misunderstood?"

 

"No. No. You were thorough. I understand there's a significant difference between Camiens and Cybertronian. You took note and improvised" he grunted. That was as close to a compliment she was going to get and her spark swelled in pride. "The fact was the _lack_ of comments on First Aid's spark resuscitation technique. It was a new method. So probably you had some questions to ask?"

 

He leveled her a look, not even bothering a glance on his work on Drift's circuitry. Drift didn't appeared bothered either. He fiddled his hands on his abdomen while humming something under his breath. She wouldn't doubt he could give a whole lecture on the method of t-cog transferral while elbow deep in cranial surgery.

 

"Weeell..." the stylus in her hand twirled as she thought of a response. "There were so many literatures to catch up on. Even on the Vis Vitalis. But. It's true then? You guys never..." she trailed off. Mulling over wether if this was disrespectful. The look on Ratchet's face told her that her concern was absolutely unwanted and also infuriating.

 

"You guys never bonded sparks as a medical procedure before?"

 

Ratchet stilled. Velocity's vents faltered, wondering if she had went too far.

 

"Perhaps Camiens are more different than we thought," he started slowly. "but _we_ considered sparks as private."

 

"It is private. We are not savages!" she stood, offended in turn.

 

"Then you should know why we don't dabble in spark bonding as some sort of experimental-"

 

"This dabbling saved lives! For all your war I would have thought you would savour lives-"

 

"Guys! Guys please!"

 

" **Shut up!!** " they both barked at Drift, and then Ratchet demurely closed his chest cavity as if he wasn't fiddling inside them just now. He sighed.

 

"This is a sensitive subject. Perhaps it's best not to discuss it now."

 

"And continue when? When someone's life is at stake? When someone is so severely broken he was diagnosed with 'eternal coma' because no one thought to do something?"

 

"First Aid accomplished a great discovery, and I'm sure Rewind, Fort Max, and many others are grateful for him." he snapped back at her. They are both almost helm to helm, with Drift helplessly stuck in between. "but that did not change the fact that he performed a dubious procedure on a non-consenting unconscious living subject."

 

"You mean the procedure he had spent years researching? The one that got shot down every time it got brought up?" Velocity's temper rose with every breath, remembering the reports on First Aid's personal record. "The one written on his demoting clause as 'persistent questionable ethics'?"

 

"Well then I know someone else with questionable ethics if she thinks that practicing untested procedure-"

 

"Don't you dare say I'm an unqualified medic just because you're all high and mighty-"

 

"GUYS PLEASE!!" Drift shouted and pushed their faces apart. Velocity didn't even notice they gravitated towards each other to the point of almost climbing the slab between them.

 

"Can we just." he casted a helpless look between them. "talk this out. This is a major cultural clash, what better time to start than now?"

 

Velocity crossed her arms and huffed. Ratchet turned his back to her altogether. If someone was going to apologize, it's not going to be her first and apparently Ratchet thought of the same thing too.

 

Drift wrung his hands together and coughed. "Well uh. I heard one of the people Censere saved is a spark specialist. Maybe you guys can talk it over with him once he got, um... got used to the place."

 

"So you guys lost the only spark specialist you have, no wonder you have a backwards thinking in medical spark procedure."

 

Ratchet slammed his hands on the slab, making Drift jump from the impact. "Listen here you daft protoform. I have been a medic longer than you have been alive-"

 

"And what," she laughed mockingly, "You have seen and done everything and now you can't accept that there's something you don't know?"

 

He growled dangerously. If she had been any less riled up she would have backed off. Pit, she would probably dropped her status and joined Nautica as an engineer. "I know enough to know there are hundreds of alternatives to save a life than to breach the privacy of a spark."

 

"And the lives you didn't save?" she dared poke at his windshield. "Do you know how many hundreds you could have, had you not shied away from something so crucial?"

 

"It's no better to save a life and rape them!!"

 

Ratchet's shout echoed the suddenly silent medbay. He stomped to the autoclave machine as Velocity blinked and gaped at his wake. Guilt instantly weigh heavily on her shoulders, she hugged her arms tight on herself.

 

Way to go Lotty. You messed it up again. She blinked again rapidly to dispel her tears.

 

"I think," Drift started slowly. Reaching out to touch her hand. Oh no. Please don't. If he tried to comfort her she would definitely start crying.

 

But instead he said, "I think we all need to talk right now." His face thoughtful as he pulled the wires from his port and properly latched his chest armor. She almost forgot what he was doing here.

 

"You talk to her." Ratchet seethed.

 

"Okay. Okay." he soothed. "Have a seat Velocity. It's fine."

 

"Just call me Lotty," she sniffed.

 

"Lotty. That's nice, very cute." he rubbed at her upper arm and smiled softly. "You didn't do anything wrong Lotty. I myself, just found out that a talk is very much what we needed right now." his voice was raised loud enough so that even though Ratchet didn't want to talk, he was very much involved in it.

 

"We have been in a war for a very long time." he started. "With millions of years of a divided society, in a way, the Decepticons did manage to banish the old functionalist way of thinking. But it only traded one segregation for another."

 

"The Factions" she supplied helpfully. This got Ratchet's attention, his head tilted slightly in betrayal of his emotion.

 

"Yes," Drift nodded solemnly, "You're either born with it or die with it. Because once you're marked as one you have to live with it to your grave, no matter the colour you wore," his hand drifted to his chest absently and he shook his head. "Right. My point is our social structure was so divided from the start. Each faction, though not entirely, consisted of a group heavily biased on a particular socioeconomic status. And sometimes each faction deliberately did something of the opposite just out of spite. And with years of separation, we drifted apart, developed our own cultural understandings that we become as foreign to each other as we are with other Cybertronian colonies."

 

"Just get on with it!" snarled Ratchet, finally losing his temper. She agreed with him, but like pit she was going to let it show.

 

Drift gave her a private smile and a wink, as if it was what he was aiming for all along. "I don't really think there was anything wrong with Lotty's opinion on spark bonding."

 

"What?!"

 

"Hah!!" Velocity whooped and did a mental fist pump. Kissing her teeth to stop from sticking her tongue out at Ratchet. Better not test her luck.

 

"Wha-what. How could-"

 

"Ah ah ah." Drift tutted and waggled his finger. "You didn't want to talk remember. Right now we're just exchanging opinions, you can have your piece after we're done."

 

He turned back to face her and took Velocity's hand as an encouragement. "How about you tell us how it was done in Caminus? I promise there's no judgment here, only acceptance."

 

The look Ratchet gave her over Drift's shoulder told her there will very much be judgment. But at least he'll hold off until she's done.

 

She took a deep breath, "Well, in Caminus having an Amica Endurae is really important. Kind of mandatory really. If you don't have one by ten megacycles old you are a loner. A pariah."

 

She looked up and Drift's brow wrinkled in contemplation, Ratchet scowled. Even more that is, but neither said a word.

 

"If a medical emergency calls for the need of a spark energy, the sparkmate will be informed and they will contribute to the procedure. If otherwise unable, the medic or any other donator will do it. In fact," she added thoughtfully "I never noticed how much we used spark energy before I joined Thunderclash. Even something not as life threatening, we had used spark bonding as a way to lessen the toll of the surgery and give emotional sustenance."

 

Ratchet opened his mouth but snapped it shut with a look from Drift. Grateful that she won't be interrupted, she weathered on.

 

"With how poor Caminus is with resources, we developed a lifestyle of energy conservation. Spark bond became a critical criteria medically, but to preserve the sanctity of sparks we are urged to find at least one Amica Endurae within our lifetime." she finished with an exhale and peaked an eye open to look at her audience.

 

"Thank you Lotty for sharing that with us," supplied Drift. She blushed and resisted the urge to giggle. Damn crush. If he kept this up she's going to do something to nab a date with him.

 

"You can speak your mind now Ratchet."

 

The CMO cleared his vocalizer. He had to switch it off just so he wouldn't interject.

 

"Okay first of all. Mandatory sparkmates? What in the pit?" He threw up his hands and took a deep breath. "Okay. Not touching that. Ever. Just. Whatever."

 

He crossed his arms again and shuffled where he stood. Eyes roaming around the room. He was clearly uncomfortable. Velocity felt sorry for him for a moment.

 

"The spark. Well. Religion wise it is part of Primus. To sully it is to spit on Primus Himself, not-" he shot a glare at Drift. "-that I believe in any of that nonsense, but i believe in autonomy. Privacy. The offering of inner energon reflects the depth of emotion from one person to another. Things change, bla bla, but the spark stays the same and all that jazz."

 

"But that's not true," he griped, "A spark bond change a spark. Makes you feel things. The hole punctured to let in something else, something foreign. Let your very essence escape out of you. Once you bonded sparks there's no going back. That's why some people went through their lives without ever finding their Endurae. To give that much trust to someone the only thing you can call yours? To violate someone like that? To lose the only part of yourself left? To some people surviving does not trump living."

 

Ratchet sat down heavily on a chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Especially with so very little left to look forward to living," he whispered solemnly.

 

Oh. Oh now she felt bad.

 

"The Decepticons made their insignia with part of their spark chamber." Drift suddenly spoke up.

 

Velocity looked up in surprise, a glance at Ratchet told her it was old news for him. The statement was meant for her. She looked at Drift in silent disbelief.

 

"The Decepticon movement was, originally, made of a group of people with nothing left to lose. They are their function, and conscientious freedom is only a luxury of the obedient," Drift weathered on as if he just wanted this to be over with. Clearly it was also a sensitive subject to him.

 

Ratchet thought so too because he put a hand on Drift's arm. He shook his head.

 

"They practiced freedom the only way they can. In a way, it was a deliberate heresy. They were called the desecration of Primus, and it was one more way to slather themselves with the stigma painted on them by the Senate to display them as monsters. Brandishing it to the world the cause they fought for. Symbolical that we would take our right even if we have to fight God itself," his voice gained a prideful tone. His eyes lost in the past, quoting someone somewhen. Then he slapped his hands on his mouth at the slip up, shoulder hunched as if ashamed.

 

Drift picked himself up, "Anyway," he cleared his vocalizer, "with the gap in their- our... our spark chamber, the communicator could easily detect a Decepticon's spark, separating them from the Autobots. That was what carried the tradition to continue for years even after the original cause is forgotten."

 

Ratchet made a noise at his side, as if finally figuring a long standing mystery. Velocity was entranced, hugging her knees to her chest.

 

"The gap also eased spark bonding but honestly, it was never called something like that. A bond that is." he shrugged, "You saw someone hurt, plug up, carry them to nearest medic, and moved on. Sure you'll be connected to that person, but we called them obligate gratitude. The price of a life is another so in saving one you got yourself another. So if you call this thing a bond, someone in the Decepticon unit could even have up to hundreds of bonds if they lived long enough."

 

"What?" she gasped.

 

"The slag??" blurted out Ratchet.

 

"But. But." Velocity sputtered. "How could you do that? Even a medic at Caminus can't have that many bonds at once."

 

"And during war," Ratchet cringed, rubbing his chest. "how could you stand that much... loss."

 

"It was... hard," Drift replied, "and it wasn't purely altruism either. If you don't save others, you would hardly be saved in return. The Decepticons fought for equality but that soon changed. Mutated. Total egalitarianism demands a price for every thing you took. So-" he smiled apologetically for getting sidetracked. "Even so. There are some people closer than others though they rarely classify them as either Amica or Conjunx. Someone who felt their passing stronger than some."

 

Velocity cupped her hands to her mouth, "Oh... Does Ravage..."

 

 

"Soundwave..." Ratchet whispered and Drift nod.

 

"I mean. I don't mind any of your opinions." he glanced at Ratchet, clearly something he does mind, maybe a bit. "Its just. The thing makes me. Uncomfortable. But its not. Not the forcing part. Its the part where it's wrong."

 

Ratchet snapped a look at him, furious, and Velocity slapped his jaw closed with a clack. She was so dead. But at least her bedtime story was great.

 

Drift rubbed at the back of his neck, eyes trained cautiously on the glaring Ratchet. "Its just. You know what else is extremely personal and requires explicit consent? Surgery. You can't perform surgery on a person without a detailed discussion and agreement. But you can, even required, to do some emergency operations in order to save a life. And just this thing. I dunno." he shuffled and fidgeted. Fingers picking at his finials. It was utterly adorable.

 

"This thing that's considered private and precious. But to choose between that and a life? Its really hard for me to except something that could be considered as _rape_ have anything. Any sort of thing, that's beneficial. That's good in any kind way. Like the action of it can actually have some necessary outcome. Much less something so significant and life saving."

 

The room rang in silence at Drift's last word. Each of them busy with their thoughts, mind reeling with new information. Finally Velocity spoke up.

 

"I'm sorry Ratchet. I spoke without thinking and hurt you." she hunched, "even then I spoke something I know would hurt you just because."

 

He mumbled under his breath until Drift gave him a small kick. Ratchet glared at him and said, "Yeah. Sorry. Just don't give me that look and we're good."

 

Drift clapped his hands together. "See, now everyone is happy that we talked to each other."

 

"But now with First Aid's resuscitation technique you don't have to do bonds to save lives anymore right?" piped Velocity. "His thing... It can do that, right?"

 

"It can bypass blockers and amplify enough charge to provide the energy needed without producing a bond, although significantly lower," he huffed, trying and failing at concealing his pride.

 

"And. And now we have a specialist at our disposal, we got new technology, new friends, and the war ended," Velocity meekly contributed, "I think... The world is slowly on it's way to be better."

 

Instead they both looked at her with pitiful eyes. She wondered what she missed.

 

"Awh, Rachet," Drift cooed, "Can I have her fix my fuel gauge?"

 

"Don't be ridiculous, I could do it just fine."

 

"Oh. Uh... Do you think I can see it?" she asked sheepishly.

 

Ratchet glanced a look and huffed at Drift's nod. "Knock yourself out." he unlatched the armour again, and the chest plating shifted out and away seamlessly.

 

Velocity trembled with giddiness and bent over.

 

Oh.

 

_Woah._

 

~~~~

 

"Nauticaaaa,"

 

"Oomph! Lotty!" Nautica laughed with an armful of giddy medic. "You looked happy today. What's up?"

 

Velocity kissed her cheeks a few times before answering, "Just. Happy." she giggled, infecting Nautica into a giggle fit herself. "I'm so sorry I ditched you yesterday."

 

"No, I guessed it had been Ratchet. I've been with him before remember? I would have thought he'll steal you away for some more days."

 

"He gave me a day off. He wanted a discussion with a spark specialist."

 

"So I have you all to myself today?"

 

"Depends," she grinned. "I have something planned. Are you free right now?"

 

"Hey Stormy!" she called out in the general direction of the impromptu lab. "Don't blow up anything until I get back!"

 

"No promises!"

 

"Love you too!" Nautica turned to someone with an aquatic alt mode. "Look after him for a bit yeah?"

 

The mech sighed and nodded as she lifted her armful of fire extinguisher.

 

"So, what do you have in mind?" she inquired as she followed Velocity to the storage room.

 

"Just some fun,"

 

The door opened to reveal Drift, arranging small cans of paint, a bottle of solvent, and a multitude of brushes and cloths. There was also a giant mirror on the wall. He waved at them.

 

"Well. Now I know what we were missing yesterday."

 

"I'm not sure if you meant the armaments or the pretty guy."

 

"I mean the experience." Velocity sat them both down in front of Drift, eager smile on their faces.

 

"So," he rubbed his hands together, "What are we aiming for guys?"

 

"Umm. Just pretty?" Nautica hazard a guess. " You may not notice it but you are irresistible!"

 

Drift laughed, flattered. "Oh love, I know how much they want me. In fact," he whispered conspiringly, "I pretty myself up just so I could feel the power of denying them."

 

They both gasped, awed. "Really?"

 

"No. Not really." he waved his hand in front of his face. "I always knew I'm a pretty sight. I just like to step it up a bit just because I can."

 

"Oh," Velocity slumped, "I wish I have that kind of confidence."

 

"Or that kind of beauty." added Nautica.

 

Drift motioned them closer and dipped a cloth in solvent. "Beauty don't begets confidence. Confidence could allude you to beauty if you want to," he wiped Velocity's cheeks in gentle circles. "But it don't have to. The original insinuation of the need to be beautiful is that you can't be otherwise. That being ugly is an atrocity."

 

He dipped his cloth again and moved to Nautica. "But that doesn't mean you couldn't," his grin is infectious, "You could be beautiful, cute, pretty, seductive, irresistible," he punctuated the last word with a pinch on Nautica's nose, enticing a laugh. "You could be happy without ever seeing anybody as beneath you."

 

He looked around the collection of paints and back at their faces, rubbing his hands again.

 

"So. What would it be?"

 

~~~~

 

The knock on the door came just as Velocity was finishing up the last of her report.

 

"Come on in!" she called out without looking up. A set of heavy footsteps walked in and stopped at the slab in front of her.

 

"Sorry about that. So," she clapped her hands, "Chain right? Hi. I'm afraid we started off on the wrong foot the other day, how about we start again?"

 

She hold out her hand, "Hello, I'm Velocity of Caminus and I have but a passing knowledge about Velocitron despite my name."

 

That finally prompts a small chuckle from her stiff patient. "Could have fooled me," she shook the offered hand, hesitantly but bravely, brushing a brief kiss on the knuckles. "You look a bit different today doc."

 

"Well I try," she smiled, knowing the light of the medbay accentuate the new paint on her lips. "I think while we do your check up it's about time we have a talk."

 

 


End file.
